Ordnance.



No. 743,466. PATENTED NOV. 10. 1903. A. T. DAWSON 6: G. T. BUOKHAM.

ORDNANCE.

APPLICATION FILED JUL! 13, 1903.

H0 MODEL.

a M M w v ilmrno STATES ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON AND GEORGE ENGLAND, ASSIGNORS TO VICKERS SONS & MAXIM,

MIN STER, LONDON,

LIMITED, OF WESTMINSTER, LONDON,

Patented November 10, 1903.

PATENT Orrica THOMAS BUCKHAM, OF WEST- ENGLAND.

ORDNANCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 743,466, dated November 10, 1903. Application filed July 13, 1903- SerialNo-165,290. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be itkn own that WG,ARTHUR TREVOR DA SON, lieutenant of the Royal Navy and director and superintendent of Ordnance Works,

residing at 32 Victoria street, Westminster, in the county of London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements is a specification.

This invention relates to ordnance of the kind in which the gun is adapted to recoilin a cradle having buffer-cylinders for checking I therecoil and returning the gun to battery.

vide means for enabling the gun to be quickly disconnected from the rods of the buIfer-pis tons and removed from the cradle when it is desired to separate the gun and cradle for the loads for conveyance over difiicult country by draft-animals. We accomplish this object by forming the outer ends of the said piston-rods with screw-threaded segments, flats, or other suitable means for enabling them to be readily engaged with the lugs on the gun by an angularmovementoftthe rods imparted thereto by handles or other appropriate devices.

The rods may be prevented from unintentional angular movement for disengaging them by spring-clips or other suitable locking contrivances.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a-sectional side elevation of the rear portion of the gun and its cradle constructed in accordance with our invention. Fig. 2 is a rear end elevation, and Fig. 3 a half-sectional plan, of the same.

The breech mechanism has been omitted from the foregoing figures for sake of clearness.

Ais the gun, B the cradle, and E B are the brake-cylinders.

The gun is provided with the usual lugs when the handles are 'rod and by a transverse pin b passing through said boss and rod. The portion of the rods B that enters the lugs A is in the example illustrated formed with interrupted screw-threads b which when said-rods are turned into the position represented by the full lines in Fig.

2 engage with corresponding interrupted screw-threads in the lugs A, thereby secur- 6o ing the gun and buffer-pistons together, so that when the gun recoils in the cradle the butters will act in the ordinary manner. When said handles 11 are turned into the position represented by the dotted lines in Fig. 2, the said rods B will be turned into a position to disengage the aforesaid interrupted screw-threads on the rods from those of the lugs A, so that the gun and rods will be disengaged aud the gun be freeto be entirely 7o withdrawn and detached from its cradle.

In order to insure that the extent of angular movement imparted to the rods by the handles b shall not exceed that which is necessary for properlydisengaging the interruptedscrew-threaded rods from the lugs A, the boss of each handle may be provided with a finger 6 which will abut against a projection or cam-piece b on the cradle, Fig. 2,

turned to a sufiicient 8c extent for edecting the aforesaid disengagement. For the purpose of insuring that the rods shall not become unintentionally turned to disengage the parts we employ a catch device which in the example illustrated comprises a spring-clip a, hinged at a to the gun and having a rectangular slot or opening a therein for engaging with a correspondinglyshaped rectangular head 6 on the end of each rod B. When the rods are properly engaged with the lugs A, the said heads 12 lie in a position to enter the slots at of the clips when the latter are turned inwardly-i. (2., into the position represented :in the'drawings-so that the rods are prevented from turning again until the spring-clips have been moved into a position to release said heads b The said clips are retained in their locking position by the pressure of the springs too I described.

a acting, upon washers a,

the clips.

\Ve wish it to be understood that We do not confine ourselves to the above-described means whereby the rods B are turned and their engagement with the lugs A is effected and maintained, as said means may be varied without departing from the nature of our invention.

What We claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

, 1. The combination with a recoiling gun, its cradle, butters and butter-piston rods, of means for Connecting said piston-rods to the gun, means for effec ing their disconnection by a partial rotary or angular-movement, and means for temporarily holding the rods against rotary movement for the, purpose specified.

2. The combination with a recoiling gun, its cradle, buffers and buffer-piston rods, of means for connecting and disconnecting said piston-rods to and from the gun by an angular movement of the rods, means for imparting said movement to the rods, and means for temporarily retaining the rods in their connected condition 3. The combination with a recoiling gun, its cradle, buffers and bulfenpiston 'rods, of interrupted screw-threads on the said rods adapted to engage with corresponding interrupted screw-threads in the lugs of the gun by auangular movement, means for impart ing'to said rods their angular movement and means for temporarily retaining the rods in their position of engagement-substantially as 4. The combination with a recoiling gun, its cradle, butters and buffer-piston rods, of interrupted screw-threads on the outer ends of said rods adapted to engage with corresponding interrupted screw-threads in the lugs ot the gun by an angular movement, haudles on said rods for imparting to them their angular movement and clips to temporarily interposed be tween said springs and the'fiat portions a of substantially as described.

retaining said rods in their position of engagement substantially as described.

5. The combination with a recoiling gun, its cradle, buiters and buffer-piston rods, of interrupted screw-threads on the outer of said rods adapted to engage with corresponding interrupted screw-threadsin the lugs of the gun by an angular movement, handles on said rods angular movement, means for limiting the er;- tent of movement of said rods when turned in a direction to cause their disengagement with the lugs, and clips for temporarily reraining said rods in their position of engagement substantially as described.

6. The combination with a rec its cradle, buffers and buffer-piston rods, of means for connecting and disconnecting said piston-rods to and from lugs on the gun by an angular movement, handles on said rods for imparting to them their angular movement, fingers on said handles adapted to ongagc with cam-surfaces on the cradle to limit the movement or" said handles in turning to disengage the lugs, and clips for temporarily retaining said rods in their positionot' engagement substantially as described.

7. The combination with a recoiling gun, its cradle, buflfers and bu tier-piston rods, of means for connecting and disconnecting said piston-rods to and from lugs on the gun by an angular movement, means for imparting said angular movement to the piston-rods, springclipshinged to the saidlugs and formed forimparting to them. their ends oiling gun,

with slots, and heads on the said rods for en gagement with said slots when the clips are turned into their locking position substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands, in presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 30th day of June, 1903.

ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON. GEORGE THOMAS BUt'lKllAll'i. Witnesses:

E. D. LANE, HENRY KING. 

